Impact of canning and storage on apricot carotenoids and polyphenols

- Apricot carotenoids are more stable than phenolics upon thermal treatments.
- Polyphenol losses are mainly due to thermal degradation and leaching.
- Apricot phenolic are more stable than carotenoids upon storage.

Apricot polyphenols and carotenoids were monitored after industrial and domestic cooking, and after 2 months of storage for industrial processing.The main apricot polyphenols were flavan-3-ols, flavan-3-ol monomers and oligomers, with an average degree of polymerization between 4.7 and 10.7 and caffeoylquinic acids. Flavonols and anthocyanins were minor phenolic compounds. Upon processing procyanidins were retained in apricot tissue. Hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ol monomers, flavonols and anthocyanins leached in the syrup. Flavonol concentrations on per-can basis were significantly increased after processing. Industrial processing effects were higher than domestic cooking probably due to higher temperature and longer duration. After 2 months of storage, among polyphenols only hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ol monomers and anthocyanins were reduced.Whichever the processing method, no significant reductions of total carotenoids were observed after processing. The cis-β-carotene isomer was significantly increased after processing but with a lower extent in domestic cooking. Significant decreased in total carotenoid compounds occurred during storage.